Four-party-line indicating ringing key.



y C. S. WINSTON. FOUR PARTY LINE INDIGATING RINGING KEY.

' APPLICATION FILED AUG.3, 1907.

Patented Oct. 27, 1908.

nourish CHARLES S. WINSTON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR' iO KELLOGG SWI'lOIIBOARlD AND SUPPLY COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

FOUR-PABTY-LIBIE INDICATING RINGING' I "WY Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. August Q, 1907. Serial lll'o. 388,896.

Patented. Oetd27, 1908.

;ing'Ringing Keys, of which the following is a specification.

dy invention relates to ihdieating keys for use inconnection with telephone party lines. In telephone systems equipped with more than one substation upon a single line it is desirable for the telephone operator to have some means of readily ascertaining the lest party signaled without it being necessary for the operator remembering which sulos'oriloer was lost. called.

The object of my invention is t9 produce a key which shall have a simple and posit ivc means for giving the operator the desired indication.

Another object of my invention is to pro duce a device which shall be simple and inexpensive to manufacture, and which shall he durable in its operation.

Other objects will appear in the following description and 'cluims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure l is a top view of un indicating key adapted for. four party selective ringing Fig. 2 is an elevation of the key of my invention; Fig. 3' is a section on'the line 3--3 of Big. 2 showing the key in the. position hereafter-culled theindicuting position; Fig. l is a section on the line us of Fig. 2 showing the key in its normal position, and Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5--,5 of 2, showing the key in its actuated position.

The frame of the hey is composed of the top plate 1, to which are secured the vertical pillars 2 and 8 supporting the spring mounting strip 4-. The strip 4.- is preferably made of vuleunite or other insulating n'm'teriul and has holes drilled therein in alinenient with the holes in the top plate 1, through which pass the actuating plunger-s 5 and the indiin the guide plate in such. in'inner rertioel grooves 9 which are engaged by the guide plates 10 to prevent the plungors 5 from rotating.

Upon the one side oi? the plunge and so cured to the enlarged portions '0", are the rubber knobs ll udupted when the plunger is depressed to spread the middle switch springs 12 so that they make contuct with the outside switch springs 13. Encircling each operating plunger is 0. spring ll which rests at its lower end upon the rubber mounting strip l and engages at its upper end the lower side of the enlargement S. This spring normally under compression and is adopted to hold the plunger 5-in its uppermost position when the plunger is releused.

The auxiliary or indicating plunger (3 is provided with the portion 1-5 normally above the plate and prefer-ally whitened with enamel or celluloid. This plunger curries the pin 16 which passes through a slot as to prevent the pin 5 from rotating. T his pin has the shoulder 17 against which the coil spring 18 abuts to norniully hold the plunger in its upper nost position. The pin 19 is secured to the enlargement 6 of uctuuting plung'ors 5 and extends above the end of the pin 16, so that when the plunger 5 is depre. d the pin. 19 presses upon the upper side of the pin 16 mid carries the plunger (3 down simultaneously.

Extending entirely along one side of the key and pivoted upon posts 2 and 3 is the fetch plate 20huving the extensions 21, ouch provided with an inwardly turned projection udupled to pass ubmjo the end of the pi u is when the plunger 3 is depressed to its lower position. l lhen the pin 16 of one of the plungors engugos the projection 22 in its dowmvurd stroke, the plate 20 is slightly rocked upon its pivots so that uny other plunger wnioh was at that time engaged by the projection 22 of another extension 21 would be rcloused, allowing it to come buck to its normed position, while the auxiliary plunger lust depressed would he held down to indicate that the actimling button associated with this latter plunger was the last button depressed. It is usual to mount in operetors listening hey upon the sonic strip with a ringing keyof this type and such a key is ra-zpresented at. the left hand of Fig.2, though this forms no pa it of my present in vention. This key is proyided with the earn adapted when moved to its vertical posi tion to force the plunger 26 down such that roller 27 will actuate the listening key springs 28. This key may be of any other character or may be entirely omitted from the frame of the indicating key.

\Vhile I have s own and described my invention with respect to certain details it is to be understood that. I do not wish to boundul'y limited thereto, many variations from the present disclosure being possible without in any way departing from the spirit or scope o'lf my invention.

What I claim is:

1. in an operators indicating key, the combination with a suitable supporting frame, of a plurality of switch actuating plungers, a plurality of auxiliary plungers, one associated with adapted by their positions to indicate the last actuating plunger depressed, substantially as described.

In an operators indicating key, the combination with a suitable supporting frame, of a plurality of switch actuating means, a plurality of reci pro rating plunger-s, one associated with each of said meansand adapted by their positions to indicate the last of said means actuated, substantially as described.

2-5. In an operators indicating key, the com bination with a plurality of switch actuating plungers having normal and actuating positions, of a plurality of auxiliary plungers, one associated with each of the actuating plungers and having normal and indicating positions, means to place plunger in its indicating position when an actuating plunger is moved to its actuating position, and means to return said. indicating plunger to its normal position when another actuating plunger is movedto its actuating position, substantially as described.

t. In an operators indicating key, the combination with a plurality of switch actuating plungers, of a plurality of auxiliary plungers, one associated with each of the actuating plungers, a spring for each actu ating plunger, and a spring for each indicating plunger normally holding the plungers in their uppermost positions, means for forcingthe indicating plunger to its lower position when the actuating plunger is forced to its actuating position, and means for'retaining the indicating plunger in its lower position after the actuating plunger has returned to its normal position, the retaining means being actuated by the depression of anyother each of the actuating plungers' the auxiliary actuating plunger, whereby the first indicating plunger is released and allowed to return to its normal position, substantially as described.

5. In an operators indicating key, the combination with a suitable supporting frame, of a plurality of switch actuating plnngers, a plurality of auxiliary indicating plungers, one associated with each of the actuating plungcrs and mounted in said frame, a pivoted catch plate, means carried upon each of the auxiliary plungers engaged by said catch plate when the auxiliary plunger is depressed to its lower position, means to depress the auxiliary plunger to its lower position when its associated plunger is depressed to its actuating position, and means to move the catch plate to release said auxiliary plunger when any other actuating plunger is moved to its actuating position, substantially as described.

6. In an operators indicating key, the combination with a. suitable supporting frame, of a plurality of actuating plungers supported in the frame, switch springs associated with each of the plungers and actuated by the depression of the plungers, auxiliary plungers, one associated with each of the actuating plungers and having a portion visible from the face of the key, said auXiliary plungers having normal and indicating positions, engaging means upon the actuating plunger. and its associated indicating plunger for carrying the indicating plunger to its indicating position when the actuating plunger is moved to its actuating position, a movable catch for retaining the indicating plunger in its indicating position after the actuating plunger has returned to its normal position, and means for moving said catch to release the said indicating plunger when any other actuating plunger is moved to its actuating position, substantially as described.

7 In an operators indicating key, the combination with a plurality of switch actuating means, of a plurality of longitudinally reciprocating members, one associated with each of said positions to indicate the last of said means actuated, substantially as described.

Signed by me at Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES S. WINSTON. Witnesses Cmrrono C. BRAonunY, MARJORIE FJGRI R.

means and adapted by their, 

